(1) In a known electrical connector of the kind mentioned above, a plurality of connecting terminals each being connected to distal ends of respective electric wires are installed within a housing, and the connecting terminals are retained within the housing by means of locking arms formed integrally with the housing. Locking force of the locking arms can be positively enhanced by inserting a front holder 1 into a front portion of the housing as shown in FIG. 15.
In this case, when it is required to remove a connecting terminal from the housing 2, it is necessary to release a locking operation of an associated locking arm with the relevant connecting terminal. To this end, arm operating holes 4 through which a suitable jig may be inserted into the housing 2 from a front side thereof are formed in the front holder 1 in addition to terminal inserting holes 3 through which cooperating terminals are to be inserted into the housing.
(2) As illustrated in FIG. 16, in another known electrical connector of the kind mentioned above, a plurality of connecting terminals 5 each being connected to distal ends of respective electric wires are installed within a housing 6 and are retained therein by means of locking arms 7 formed integrally with the housing 6 such that the connecting terminals 5 could not be removed from the housing backwardly. Furthermore, when a front holder 8 is inserted into the housing 6 from its front side, pushing portions 9 of the front folder 8 push the locking arms 7 toward the connecting terminals 5. In this manner, the locking action of the locking arms 7 can be enhanced.
However, in the known electrical connector (1), the arm operating holes 4 formed in the front holder situate just above the terminal inserting holes 3, and therefore the jig for releasing an engagement of a locking arm with a connecting terminal might be inserted into a terminal inserting hole 3 to injure a connecting terminal, and furthermore cooperating connecting terminals might be erroneously inserted into the arm operating holes 4.
In the known electrical connector (2), when it is required to remove a connecting terminal 5 from the housing 6, the front holder 8 is first removed from the housing 6, and then a jig is inserted into the housing from a front side thereof to disengage an associated locking arm 7 from the connecting terminal 5. In this manner, during the operation of removing one or more connecting terminals by releasing the engagement of the locking arm or arms, the front holder 8 that has to be removed temporally from the housing 6 is liable to be lost.
The present invention has for its object to provide an electrical connector, in which the above mentioned problems can be removed and an engagement of a clamping arm with a connecting terminal can be released by inserting a jig into an arm operating hole by moving a front holder in a right and left fashion or in an up and down fashion relative to a housing without removing the front holder from the housing.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector, in which a terminal inserting hole and an arm operating hole could not be used simultaneously to retain a safety in operation.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an electrical connector, in which connecting terminals installed within a housing can be pushed backward by a front holder to bring the connecting terminals firmly contacted with locking arms to prevent a rotational movement of the connecting terminals.